Well seeing I have such a complex home cinema set-up with lots of additional Dolby pro-logic decoders doing different things when engaged with Dolby 5.1 or dts 5.1 source signals, where I can use one decoder set-up the centre back and height surround overhead.
Well since the installing of the Alesis RA300 I've just realized I can get a little more temporary flexibly control from the height surrounds overhead channel.
So while the Pioneer VSP-200 has been processing the split-surround signals for the past, and thou it hasn't got a pre output for matrix surround which is only supplied via the two monaural outputs that would go direct to the loudspeakers, hence its amplified.
The plan is to use the Yamaha DSR-70 which supports pre-outputs as its only a processor only. Now with a little simple re-plugging and swapping RCA phone leads and loudspeaker cables around as well as using an EQ for the height surrounds to adjust any small differences in frequency response as well as the range of the frequency, this should only take me around 30 minutes to do.
Plus additional time for setting up the dts demonstration disc track 14 all channels and re-calibrating the levels of the fronts left and rights as the Yamaha DSR-70 inputs are being sent from the Kenwood KRF-X9050D THX, outputs from the Yamaha DSR-70 then pass though the DCX2490 loudspeaker management system.
So the level on the Yamaha DSR-70 fader has to be matched to that of the Pioneer VSP-200, piece of that cake mate easy. Once all done I'll set-up the SPL db and RTA and do a few simple tests and then tidy up.
Next would be to test a few films out with the JBL Control 1 surround array on only, check that the levels are alright in each channel as I can turn on any of the 4 surround channels.
Left sidewall array Right sidewall array Centre back wall array Height overhead array
Or play all at the same time.
Anyway let's get to work.
And since the time I typed out the above text I've been re-plugging!
Well this didn't take me too long to accomplish the rather complex task I think I had re-plugged and tested in around 40 minutes, seem like I have lost the spirit of it yet.
A lot of re-plugging going on back here!
Slight bit a quick re-plugging of the sub bass extension and LFE.1, although LFE.1 needn't be changed around. The LFE.1 input is the RAC lead on the far right of the mixers 6 inputs. What I had to do was just reassign the front left and right summed sub bass signal centre front sub bass and split-surround sub bass signal easy.
Calibrating the main left and right levels at the same time as I noted the differences before changing everything around, there was no hitches what so ever. Just a lot of feeling around, knowing which RCA plug to plug in where and where its output would travel too.
Yeah that THX JBL experience lots of low end sub bass extension, just like the EMPIRE Leicester square screen #1 yeah make it loud!
Beehive, be buggered! No, no I would here of it in this sound system just a lot of sweat and perseverance of re-plugging and it would make most home cinema owners ponder and wonder what special techniques I have implemented into my home cinema?
Like I said to Paul, I wouldn't hear of it no interference no crosstalk of stray signals passing though each other. But I do have to be careful of Hector the spider down there? He's BIG BUGGER!
Still playing "Star Trek The Motion Picture" I guess there's smoothing about the Dolby Stereo mix on the original version that makes the special edition not as special as all the DVD hype made it to be!
I'll check over the JBL Control 1 surround array later and run a few films with those split-surrounds 'm thinking "Hollow Man" the water sprinkler sequence where the water starts spraying from front centre down towards the centre back and all over the room, without getting wet!
Plus there are a few other sequences where sounds pan around on the surround array, I'll be only checking for minor timbre matching errors and then adjusting them with a wideband pink noise.
Also "Mission To Mars" has a good sequence where the actors voice is panned from centre front to right and right wall surround array then on to the centre back surround array and over to the left wall surround array.